[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

The Euro-spec tail lights are here! Straight from eBay Germany Made in Czech Republic by Visteon.

I guess my weekend is set!

Woah Gannu just love this swap bro. Personally, the best DIY till date on your GT TDI

Since this is my first VAG pick, I am still a bit skittish about all the warranty thingys. So I did the next best thing to swapping the tail lights, I just swapped the Bulbs.

I had Blue Bulbs (not LEDs but blue coloured bulbs that give out bright White Light) from my previous car. I swapped these at the rear with the Brake Lights, Fog & Reverse Bulbs. Not a world of change but definitely look a lot different & brighter compared to OEM.

But I just can't wait to see this swap on your Polo bro. I am sure it will be another for the Archives, like the rest of your threads.

[swiftnfurious]

Wonder how you manage to have so much time in life and spend it NOT driving the car.

Request :: Please give us a comparo pics of the stock light and the new one, both off & on.

[psuraj]

Your ownership thread is very detailed and made a huge difference for me just before I went to book this car. I own the same car in red and looking forward to many other mods on your car so it helps me to follow suit.
Thank you very much and drive safe.

Regards
Suraj

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Wonder how you manage to have so much time in life and spend it NOT driving the car.

All the sick leaves allotted for this year (15 days!) got exhausted when I was hospitalised during January due to an unfortunate liver infection. Moreover, the wedding is scheduled for this September so I can't take any more offs from work. But fret not, I am driving down to Kerala during September. So that’s going to be a lengthy memorable trip.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Request :: Please give us a comparo pics of the stock light and the new one, both off & on.

Most definitely. Will be preparing a detailed DIY thread on this swap.

I did an anatomy on both the tail lights (Euro-spec vis-à-vis the Indian one) yesterday night and figured out that there’s another issue other than the fog/reverse lights being swapped! The fog/reverse lamp issue can be resolved by running 2 wires from LHS to RHS with some soldering in the terminals. The stock wiring is left unharmed - no splicing/cutting so no warranty issues.

This is the snap of the innards of the Indian-spec RHS tail lamp:



The stock spring-loaded wing nuts used to tighten the Indian-spec tail lamps cannot be used for the Euro-spec ones since the length falls short.

This is the snap of the stock wing nut:



This one cannot be used for securing the Euro-spec lamp because the length is short and the internal threading inside the Euro-spec lamp is much deeper. Thus, looked up the part number for the proper wing nut (1K8945300):



Ordered a pair from eBay US for Rs. 648. Friend would later ship it to me once he receives it. Until then, I’ll be done with the soldering part of the cables and keep everything else ready so once the new screws arrive, I can fix it.

Originally Posted by psuraj

Your ownership thread is very detailed and made a huge difference for me just before I went to book this car. I own the same car in red and looking forward to many other mods on your car so it helps me to follow suit.
Thank you very much and drive safe.

Thank you Suraj. Means a lot.

[Gannu_1]

A Sunday morn well spent!

Before:


After:


Fog goes to the LHS now:


And reverse goes to the RHS:


Up close:




A detailed DIY thread is in the assy. line. This wasn't a straight swap and we faced a couple of challenges but nothing hard.

[Gannu_1]

Had ordered a pair of Hella DynaEdge wipers from Snapdeal (link; couldn't find Bosch's Clear Advantage for the 16" size) and they were delivered yesterday. Installed them today evening and took less than 10 minutes.

Removing the stock wipers were very simple. There is a small tab beneath the wipers at the joint. Push it and pull the wipers down. The tip of the spring loaded arms can crack the windshield if it accidentally goes off! So a turkey towel was spread before attempting to swap them:



The new wipers would go into the U-shaped part of the arms in only one direction. Probably a method of fool-proofing. Open the lock-tab on the adaptor, insert them and click lock the tab. That's it. Barely took us 10 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUxWyFa50Ds

The wipers look much better than the stock ones and it evenly wipes across the windshield without any squeaking or juddering from whatever I observed while spraying the jet. I shall reserve my feedback until the monsoons are here.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

The wipers look much better than the stock ones and it evenly wipes across the windshield without any squeaking or juddering from whatever I observed while spraying the jet. I shall reserve my feedback until the monsoons are here.

Yes indeed they look better, are more flexible and can I also add that they are silent as well?

Plus you don't need to bother about the dull finish of the wiper blades once they become "old"

Not Hella but last year I had ordered one from here (URL Below) only after looking at the tempting price and wanted to give it a try for the WagonR:

http://www.autotrends.in/universal-p...lto-18-16.html

These wipers for 299/- though a cheap look alike of the branded counterparts were indeed good in terms of quality and functioning as well.

Soon after I ordered, a friend & Bhpian ordered for his Palio as well and he too was totally satisfied with these wipers.

But the fun ended when few friends ordered this for SX4 (Longer ones) and both of them complained about the longer wiper leaving a lot of space on the windscreen without wiping so badly that it was turning dangerous driving in rains.

Now that I have the Ertiga too, I will order Hella this time since it will be longer than what I had for WagonR and I don't want to take that risk.

[newtonMeter]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Really sorry man. Was completely preoccupied with work this week. Shall post the snaps tomorrow positively.

Any idea how to get the climatronic display on RCD 310? as well on RCD 510? i have both

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by newtonMeter

Any idea how to get the climatronic display on RCD 310? as well on RCD 510? i have both

My response to his query was specific w.r.t. the HU. The RCD 320 does not support both the reverse parking and the climatronic display.

I do not get the climatronic display on my Blaupunkt system either but the HU supports it. On a Jetta/Passat, it shows the climatronic display. I believe this has something to do with the CANBUS of the car. The Polo/Vento may not support this feature.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

A Sunday morn well spent!

That's an excellent update! I wonder how much cost impact will be there for the manufacturers to provide these as standard fitments

[DWC]

Wow! The new tail lights look spectacular. I love how these subtle changes you keep making to the car are slowly transforming her into something completely new.

Also, how do you manage to keep the car looking so shiny and scratch free? Is there a dedicated thread that you've started about maintaining the original sheen that i've missed?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I wonder how much cost impact will be there for the manufacturers to provide these as standard fitments

Exactly my point. I had even mentioned it in the DIY thread. There is a drastic difference in the way the tail lights look during the daylight and in the night. The bulbs inside the clusters are exactly the same, they have just changed the reflector designs and the plastics inside.

Originally Posted by DWC

Also, how do you manage to keep the car looking so shiny and scratch free? Is there a dedicated thread that you've started about maintaining the original sheen that i've missed?

Actually, the car was given an exterior treatment last week due to a scratch on the rear left door caused by some miscreant. Otherwise, just a car wash on a weekly basis. I haven’t bought any waxes or polishes so far. Yet to lay my hands on one.

You should check out this thread however - A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide. Members have posted some crazy results of their cars after detailing them.

[e-katz]

Hey Gannu, congrats on the Euro-style tail lights. Can you share the price? There is a similar product being offered by VAG Tune in Cochin so I want to compare the prices.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Rejoy, the tail lamps are for the LHD Polo I suppose since they are being shipped from Germany. I knew about the reverse/fog lamps (both are operated by a single bulb) being swapped compared to the Indian-spec Polo tail lamps thanks to Robi. We had a detailed conversation over PMs sometime ago and he had suggested that a wire had to be run from the RHS to the LHS. But hopefully this isn't a major task and I may be able to do this myself.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by e-katz

Can you share the price?

Cost me Rs. 12,900 inc. of shipping from eBay Germany. Everything has been mentioned in this thread - VW Polo DIY: Euro-spec Tail lamps

Check it out.

[Gannu_1]

Topped up the engine oil yesterday. Checked the dipstick for the oil level and it was at B:



I had a 1L bottle of Castrol Edge 5W-40 SN stored in the boot, inside the spare wheel along with the tools, medical kit and rag clothes. Also had a DIY funnel made out of an empty Coke bottle mouth. Opened the filler cap and this was the condition of the cap!



Cleaned it, topped up around 350 mL of oil and took the car for a test drive for a couple of km. I am not sure if this was a placebo effect but the drive did feel a bit smoother. The VW service center uses Castrol Magnatec Professional OE 5W-40 whereas I topped it up using Castrol Edge 5W-40 SN. No way I am dropping the car at the service center located some 8 km from my apartment and then wait for a day. Anyways the oil will be replaced along with the filter and drain plug at 15000 km which is soon approaching.

Also realized that the driver side tire was losing pressure faster than the rest. Went to the Shell pump and it read 20 psi! Filled it up (32 psi) and left. The tire did not have any punctures due to nails or any other objects. Checked with our forum’s tire expert Nikhil and he gave some helpful pointers. Will checkup with one of the shops here. Coincidentally they have the Hunter equipment purchased from Nikhil.

Btw this came in few days back:





Removed the GTI logo. Shall replace it with the GT logo from the stock grill and install it today evening. Will post a few snaps later.